This article discusses a theme of great importance, but that is curiously little studied in Brazil: the city politics, and especially its metropolises. It is unusual that Brazil had 84% of its population living officially in cities, but had never developed a dense debate dedicated to the politics of its cities. The theme was analyzed only indirectly by the field of urban studies as a secondary dimension derived of social processes, as well as by political science as a minor subject, derived by political dynamics operating at other scales. This article intends to bring the subject to the center of the analysis, taking into account the specificities of urban politics, discussing critically the various traditions present in the national and international debates and suggesting a path for the construction of the line of analysis of the subject for Brazilian cities.
Urban politics; Urban public policies; Cities; Urban studies; Political science